The Giants have acquired 28-year old righty reliever Ramon Ramirez from the Red Sox for 23-year old righty reliever Daniel Turpen. Ramirez pitched in 44 games (0 starts) for the Red Sox this season and he was 0-3 with 2 saves, a 4.46 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. He has now pitched in 268 games (0 starts) in his five years in the majors and he is 16-14 with 3 saves, a 3.55 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. Turpen was not one of the Giants better prospects. Turpen pitched in 37 games (0 starts) in AA-ball this year and he was 5-5 with 1 save, a 4.09 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. This was a good trade for the Giants as Ramirez will help tighten up the pen and the price was right.

The Giants have acquired 32-year old lefty reliever Javier Lopez from the Pirates for 26-year old lefty swinging 1B/OF John Bowker and 27-year old righty reliever/starter Joe Martinez. Lopez pitched in 50 games (0 starts) for the Pirates this season and he was 2-2 with a 2.79 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. He has now pitched in 393 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 13-9 with 4 saves, a 4.37 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. Lopez fills an immediate need for the Giants due to the recent injuries to Jeremy Affeldt and Dan Runzler. Bowker played in 41 games for the Giants earlier this year and he was 17 of 82 (.207 avg, .609 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 3 homers and 8 RBIs. Bowker played in 183 games in his three years with the Giants and he was 113 of 475 (.238 avg, .678 OPS) with 47 runs scored, 15 homers and 58 RBIs. He has been buried on the Giants’ depth chart so they essentially did him a favor by trading him to the Pirates. Joe Martinez pitched in 4 games (1 start) for the Giants this season and he was 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA and a 1.91 WHIP. He pitched in 13 games (6 starts) in parts of two years for the Giants and he was 3-3 with a 6.80 ERA and a 1.93 WHIP. The Giants certainly didn’t have to pay a big price to fill a big need by making this deal.

The Giants are pleased with 23-year old righty swinging catcher Buster Posey. Posey has played in 48 games for the Giants this year and he is 66 of 178 (.371 avg, .986 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 8 homers and 33 RBIs. Posey’s excellent start allows the Giants a lot of flexibility at the trade deadline as they might not need a big bat anymore in the outfield. This might allow them to add to the bullpen which no one has really talked about yet.

The Giants have placed 28-year old switch hitting IF/OF Eugenio Velez on the 15-day disabled list with a concussion. He was hit in the head the other day while on the bench by a line drive off the bat of Pat Burrell. Velez has played in 21 games for the Giants this year and he is 9 of 46 (.196 avg, .644 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 2 homers and 8 RBIs. The Giants have called up 26-year old righty swinging infielder Ryan Rohlinger to replace Velez on the active roster. Rohlinger has played in 10 games for the Giants this year and he is 3 of 14 (.214 avg, .527 OPS) with 1 run scored and 1 RBI.

The Giants have placed 31-year old lefty reliever Jeremy Affeldt on the 15-day disabled list with a slight tear of his left oblique muscle. Affeldt has pitched in 37 games (0 starts) for the Giants this year and he is 2-3 with 3 saves, a 4.11 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP. The Giants don’t have a lefty reliever in the pen now with Affeldt and Runzler on the D.L. The Giants have recalled 27-year old righty reliever/starter Joe Martinez to replace Affeldt in the bullpen. Martinez has pitched in 3 games (1 start) for the Giants this year and he is 0-1 with a 4.00 ERA and a 1.89 WHIP.